The Mother of All SHTF Scenarios

I’ve read many posts with SHTF mentioned and it’s obvious that probably everyone here is ready for some kind of S. Everyone probably at least has an Armageddon/survival box and most likely a room (half a room here). I’m in the Suburbs in a neighborhood surrounded by houses and about halfway between Baltimore and Washington D.C., closer to Baltimore.

I’ve been collecting items for what I would consider a BIG ONE. My wife thinks I’m crazy, as if that’s news to anyone, and I have to sneak some things into the house. Yes, I’m still fighting Styrofoam peanuts and peanut pieces…

Situation: There has been a huge to cataclysmic natural disaster somewhere on the scale of a super volcano explosion. Whatever the case, your area has survived but electricity is out or will definitely cut off soon, public water is fouled or questionable and also may soon not be treated, and the entire food distribution network has been “permanently” disrupted. There is a global impact due to sun blockage. The local government and police force are overwhelmed and all organization is lost due to the immediate impact on everyone’s lives. It looks like it will be at least a couple years, if not a decade or two, before things slowly get back to anything close to normal. After two weeks, you hear reports that mobs of people and organized gangs are roaming the streets looking to take your stuff and maybe harm your family.

Ok. That’s a pretty bad scenario that may require everyone to kiss their butts goodbye, but… So do you stay put with your pile of dried beans and powered milk and hole up in your home? Do you head for the hills/woods and set up a camp far removed from other people and the chaos?

I’m thinking that I need to buy a cheap, small piece of remote land somewhere near a lake or stream, hopefully only one gas tank or less away, and stockpile some survival stuff there. It wouldn’t just be for that purpose, but also act as a cheap vacation/hunting camp. If ever needed, I’d just have to get the family there.

Being here in Earthquake Country, We prepare for that. Keeping lots of ammo on hand, keeps me a leg & a gun up on most of the neighborhood. I live in suburbia, so I'm not too worried about roving gangs, they would just be target practice, without going to the range.

Havoc your scenario sounds like a major hurricane. No food, water, electric, ice, stores, authorities or shelter. I am fairly well stocked up I have about 12 cases of the military MRE's quite a few gallons of water. A decent supplie of ammo. A 28,000 gallon swimming pool so clening and bathing would not be a problem. I have about 6 Mag-Lites with plenty of batteries as well as a few weapon mounted lights with extra batteries. And I can't count the number of cheap plastic flashlights I have. I have at least 5 magazines for every gun I own so if I had to go out guns a blazing it would last awhile.

Yes, I agree something is probably coming. Everyone has there own disaster scenario picked out with them and family surviving as gangs of armed thugs march up to take their last case of Spam. Every board seems to have prepared people. Some have large pickups loaded with arms/foodstufs and off they go to somewhere. Actually they will probably become one of the armed thugs themselves. What I have never seen is the following.
Instead of thinking "individually", as is the American dream. Its time for the good people, as are on this board, to at least consider the possibility of communal lifestyles. Over the years I've learned that EVERYONE has something to offer. The elderly, the children, the women, can all be a part of that community as they support themselves through the crisis. Someone will have land. Someone will have firearms. Some can work the ground. Some can tend the children. Some will be expert builders/mechanics. And yes, some can guard the proceedings. No one has everything, nor can they possibly do it all.
Where do you find something like this?
Your local church. People who care about each other. Those with something to give. Yes, there will be those who need your help. They, most likely, will have something to offer as well. Everyone can have a place.
I live on a farm. I can grow any amount of food that I want if it survives a disaster scenario. Theres even a water supply. Can I do it all? Nope.
I'm no mechanic. I cannot provide more that just basic first aid. I cannot tend to others if they need help while I'm working the fields, or patrolling the perimeters.
You better believe the word will go out that I have a place for those that need help and can give help, in whatever fashion.
So again, consider the people you church with. If they aren't of like mind or have love for others at your church. Simple, go find one that does.
So I'll repeat, it will be the time to join together, not stand alone.
Will there be roving bands? Probably so. If you begin to move, then the odds are that you will become one as well, even though all you originally wanted to do was feed your family and protect them.
You can go on and on with particulars, but consider unity of like minds when the disaster occurs.

I'm a Mormon & we Mormons get into this kind of stuff. As a church, we respond to all the world's catastrophes. We have consistently had hundreds of church members in-place from a week to two weeks before all the major huricanes. These church members are local as well as comming from out of state with everything from heavy equipment to being ER doctors to having & distributing food & water to even just swarming around hard hit areas helping out. These efforts are coordiated with local church & civic authorities. Communication is by ham radio if regular cells don't work. We plan & practice for many different scenarios, including our kids so they feel empowered & also get the training.
Our church has "welfare square" in Salt Lake that was visited by President Reagan. That huge facility ships out out items year-round around the world including clothing, food, water & lots of "survival" equipment including units that are packed onto a pallet that allows a doctor in the feild to actually perform emergency surgery. Those units have heart monitors defibrilators etc. It's used equipment that we have donated to us or that we buy. Welfare square has enough stuff for the weaker folks who aren't able to get their own survival stuff. The vast majority of church members have to prepare themselves. We have church books a bout being prepared & one includes a 12 gua. & .22 rifle for each family. Each neighborhood or "ward" of about 500 people is organised for preparedness. There are two to four "wards" that meet in one building. There are plans to bring food & suplys to the ward buildings & be guarded should the need arrise. Each family should have at least 1 years supply of food. We are told to have a 72 hour emergency kit that we can use to survive till help arrives-even in our cars just in case along with longer term stuff.
I have been involved with the ham radio church "nets" that train every week, in search & rescue including rescue diving, Heavy equipment operation, & CERT training. (Community Emergency Response Training) The first thing the police & fire people that trained us told us was that they had all been told that they were not expected to respond to a large situation where their families would need them. I am responsible for twelve families that live closest to me as a "Block Captain". We were trained to run a morgue, triage, asses buildings for safety & lots of other stuff. CERT is a 6 week course & worth every minute.
The only situation our church trains us to leave our homes for is a nuclear exchange.

Situation: There has been a huge to cataclysmic natural disaster somewhere on the scale of a super volcano explosion.

Click to expand...

Funny you should mention that, Havoc; I think Krakatoa is due to go bang any time now (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krakatoa#Verbeek_investigation).
When it does, it'll cure global warming -- by replacing it with something like "nuclear winter." Although things would get ugly, I doubt that it, or any similar volcanic eruption, would cause a disaster situation in general for most of the country. I could be wrong, though.

Sackett, Popgunner, All,
Got to say, I agree, if the SHTF scenario occurs, I know that the first place I'm going is my church. Of course I'm loading up my truck with water from my well, food from the stockpiles (by stockpiles I mean, mom clips coupons, "it's cheaper by the case"), and ALL of my ammo and firearms. All of my ammo is stored in easy to carry, surplus .50 cal. ammo boxes (and I buy ammo like mom buys canned tomaties, "by the case"), and all of my firearms are cased and ready to go. Here's why I'm going to the church; 1. Good, honest people. 2. Good skill base. 3. Since the cold war everyone around here has been ready to run to the church if SHTF. I know that everyone will initially go to the church, itself situated atop an easily defensible hill, and I'll then partake in the group discussion about what to do next. I know what I'll vote to do next but if someone has a better idea I'm not standing alone. We should all think about what would happen if we did have to stand alone, but in reality, we can usually rely on the neighbours for help in the best of times, and the worst of times brings out the best in people.

Very interesting responses. I guess it all depends on what your concept of preparedness is based on your own situations and concerns or fears.

There's a lot of wisdom in what you say, Sackett, in seeking community with people you can trust and with like interests such as with church and other organizations. I am guilty of not giving that proper thought. It's so obvious that a prepared group of people with common interests would fair much better. I'm amazed at how prepared the Mormons are Popgunner!! The Tabernacle near D.C. seems different now. What a beaut too. Amazing coming around the beltway.

Guess I was more in the mind frame of family and friends first (same as church of course) and just going from there. I figure some will stick together and some won't. You guys are a few steps down the road!

Still though, I'm somewhere in the market for a cheap bit 'o land out of the way and preferably near some good water and game. That, the 5000 22lr's and such, packed away there along with other essentials and stuff we'd bring would be a step up I think, especially if things don't look good around home.

Right clmanges, it could require a HUGE cache of food for a relatively small number of people if that were the case.

I suppose that I would stay put. I own five totally fenced acres. The fence is over six feet high. It is at least better defensed than everyone else within 10 miles of my home.

I have plenty of weapons, but I would need to stock up on ammo (lots of buck shot, among other varieties). I would also stock up on MRE's, if it were possible to see something cataclysmic coming.

Three of my five acres could be quickly turned into farm land that could produce food. However, if the sun is being largely blocked out by debris, what's the point? Nothing will grow.

As to water, I pump my own out of the ground for irrigation as well as consumption. I would need to plug my gernerator up to my pumps in order for it to pump water. But, generators run on gas which would likely be in short supply, so I'm screwed.

I guess I'll just start praying hard that we don't suffer from such a horrific event.

For me, I stay put, I have plenty of ammunition, a few cases of MRE's, dried beans a well that is hand pumped, and lucky for me I have several good friends close to me that share my views. I would set up a perimeter, have someone watch guard in shifts, and as time went past i would booby trap the surrounding woods, plus my 3 older brother are close to me, and they have told me that if the SHTF they were coming to my house, they have guns and ammo and with us being in hurricane country, we all have generators, ample food stocks and medical kits....plus we are all ex military. I hope a situation like this never happens, but if it does, I hope I am prepared enough to stay right here in my home

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